LaMelo Ball's Father Sees Knicks as Ideal Draft Fit

NBA Draft prospect LaMelo Ball's father has doubled down on his claim that he would like his son to be drafted by the Knicks.

The Knicks are still an ideal fit for LaMelo, an 18-year-old guard who played professionally in Australia last season, LaVar explained on Complex's Load Management podcast this week.

Ever the promoter, LaVar even suggested his sons Lonzo, currently with the New Orleans Pelicans, and LiAngelo, a G League prospect, could one day join LaMelo in Gotham.

“The bright lights, East Coast -- if everything lines up right, the Knicks get the first pick and get LaMelo and LiAngelo with him, and somehow get Lonzo in the long run," LaVar said. "Shoot – The Triple B’s. The Ball Brothers on Broadway.”

The alliteration writes itself.

As for LaMelo, LaVar doesn't think the bright lights of New York City would be a problem for the teen.

"He's been in the spotlight since he was a baby," LaVar said on the podcast. "He was playing AAU -- they played in 17-U, so they were playing up. Lonzo was like 13, 14 -- Melo was 11 years old. Even if you're a scout in the gym, you have to go look at that game just to say, 'Let me see what an 11-year-old is going to do in a 17-U game -- even if I look at him for one minute.'

"So there's a spotlight right there that's been on him his whole life, so ain't nothing going to change."

Ball's apparent interest in the Knicks is mutual, the New York Post recently reported, and a separate Post article spelled out the Ball family's ties to new Knicks President Leon Rose.

Of course, there's no guarantee the Knicks will be in the position to draft Ball, even if they're interested.

The draft lottery, which determines the draft order, has been postponed indefinitely while the league sorts out how, if at all, to complete the 2019-20 season in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Knicks had the sixth-worst record in the NBA when the season was suspended, which would give them about a 9 percent chance of winning the top overall pick in the lottery. In a recently installed wrinkle, only the draft's first four picks are determined by the lottery -- after that, the picks of the remaining teams who did not reach the postseason are determined by record.